Los Angeles Galaxy smashed by PR Islanders, 4-1

MLS's best club, the Los Angeles Galaxy, was embarrassed at home by the second-tier Puerto Rico Islanders, 4-1, in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League preliminary-round series Tuesday night. The return leg is next week in Bayamon, P.R.

Nicolas Addlery, a former D.C. United forward, scored twice for the Islanders, who are in last place in the six-team USL Conference of USSF Division 2 with a 6-7-5 record. The Galaxy's only breakthrough came on an own goal in the 83rd minute.

LA were embarrassing and sickening tonight. It seems as if Donovan, Buddle and Arena were too busy working up their collective wet dreams for tomorrow night's tilt against a pre-season Manchester United that they forgot they had a meaningful Champion's League match tonight. They are all but done and should be ashamed of themselves for the way they represented their fans, club and league tonight.

General Clarke and the boys do it again! Our boys have been a dissapointment in the D-2 but tonight, they did almost everything right. Excellent finishing. They executed the game plan.

The mistakes that they made--only one came back to haunt them. The truth is that Richard Martinez was really unlucky with the own goal. It could have happened to anyone. He had a good night.

I don't think that I am going to get any sleep tonight. I darn sure am not taking my Islanders jersey off. The cap--yeah. The jersey--no chance Lance. It has been a tough season for League play and things just haven't gone our way since we one the CFU so I gotta lose myself in this moment.

Mighty Max- Addlery was a stiff. Almost all minor league players are minor league players for a reason. Clyde Simms was a hidden gem. Dozens of others for United were not. If Greg Janicki happens to score a big goal in his career it doesn't mean he should have stayed longer in D.C.

This is kind of ridiculous. I watched the first 20 minutes before falling asleep and the Galaxy were in complete control. Donovan made multiple defense splitting runs down the left. I was raving about how good he looked.

I know that left 70 minutes to go but did the Islanders really just turn in on all the sudden? (or was the game a series of counters and comical defending) What an embarrassment from LA! I guess there is always Seattle...

Toronto looked decent last night. Mista came on an played a few minutes towards the end and the combination of Mista, de Guzman, De Rosario showed some promise. Also, what a nice stadium they have. (Though, I hate the camera view it offers)

You have to give props to Puerto Rico because they do well in this tournament every year. It is lot like how the USL edition of the Sounders would always do well in the US Open Cup and some guy named Le Toux was unstoppable and would score at will against MLS opposition. I wonder what ever happened to that guy...

For 15 years MLS has failed to get right these stupid scheduling issues. It brags about how it wants to be measured on an international stage, and then it enables an insufferable conflict between an CONCACAF game, presumably a match that it touts as a measure of its standing against international clubs, and it's "showcase" gala all-star game versus a massive opponent. That game, by the way, is nothing more than a sponsorship deliverable and should be dropped.

9Nine9, You are the exception that proves the rule. Next Wednesday ask 100 random people on the street, "Who won the match between LA and PR?" *Maybe* 1 person will know. Its entirely possible not even one will know.

If these competitions really mean something, (I keep asking this and never getting an answer) then why, the last time DCU won one of these non-league Cups (the USOC a couple years ago) was that season considered by virtually all, from Chang on down within the DCU organization and virtually everyone here an *abject failure*?

It will be interesting to see how the Soccer Don squeezes 34 league matches, a sprinkling of US Open Cup matches, upwards of 5 SuperLiga Matches, and between 2-8 (or more if we ever make it to knock-outs) Champions League games.

Oh and at least a couple friendlies on touring Euro teams...

Oh and those pesky MLS Cup Playoffs...

INTO A 36 week calendar featuring the Gold Cup and regular international window games.

Will will not consider 2010 an abject failure if DCU wins the USOC this year. The bar is so low for DCU that is their goal. KP and BBK will need rotator cuff surgery from patting themselves on the back if they win it.

Will has told people that he wants the USOC badly. It put them back into CONCACAF so for DCU it has major merit.

bong, I believe it was after that season that one Will Chang wrote a letter to the fans saying that season was "unacceptable" I believe was his word, and he vowed to take a more hands-on approach to the operation of the team. Which, Dan Snyder-like, he did. The team on and off the field (see Goff's article) has gotten steadily worse since then. Sounds like abject failure to me.

@Ron16. Ok your second question. Here's an answe so that you can say that you never get one (then it can be "pretty much never get an answer")

For DC United USOC is an afterthought because it is one of the celebrated franchises is US pro soccer history. After Uncles Chang and Mc invested a lot of money in "upgrading" the team--a USOC trophy fell way short of the MLS Cup. The other competitions were clearly the priority. In the pecking order, the USOC was the lowest.

When you haven't won jack the USOC is something for you to put in your trophy case and on your website. Or when you are a debut club like Seattle or Chicago it is a very significant accomplishment. Or if you haven't won jack for a while (think KC or new San Jose).

But when you are a flagship franchise--the bar is and should be set much higher...

OWNTF, I see what you are saying, but isn't that really just saying these are glorified exhibition games, offering chanes to play in slightly more glorified exhibition games?

grubbsbl points out that MLS is pushing teams to take it more seriously. Well, if the league office has to push teams to take a competion seriously, what does that say about the competition?

The bottom line here is teams don't take it seriously, when they get eliminated they are quietly glad they don't have to play the extra games. MLS teams, with their still woefully shallow rosters, can't afford to expend a lot of energy and risk players' health when they know their bread and butter is MLS Cup, or at least getting deep in MLS playoffs.

What an embarrassment for the league. Our marquee team with our marquee American superstar embarrassed by a lower division team at home in a meaningful match.

The sad part of the whole thing is that the MLS all-stars might very well beat ManU in this meaningless friendly tonight, and Don Garber will tout the league's progress in quality of players. Well I really hope you were watching last night, Don, because there are serious problems with the depth of quality players on every single one of your teams. Your solution to the problem? Keep expanding ala NASL and thin the pool even more.

Wake up Don, this problem is going to bite the league in the rear if it continues this way. Last night was a prime example. And I certainly won't forget it in the weeks ahead, in fact this game will be a sticking point in my mind for some time to come in regards to the MLS.

For those who are accusing the Gals of not caring about the CCL, I doubt you watched the game last night; the Gals controlled most of the game, played with a lot of energy and had countless quality scoring opportunities. It was an issue with the depth of quality defenders that cost the Gals and costs the MLS on a regular basis in this competition, and signing Rohnaldino or some other big name won't exactly solve this issue. (not that I am opposed to signing Rohnaldino...) But Don doesn't seem too concerned about addressing this issue.

Lastly, for those fans who don't care about the CCL, I gotta say, that was a very entertaining two hours last night regardless of the result. Too bad there was no fans and no atmosphere at HDC...

Could this game been more of a one off? Rademaar seems to be echoing the same message that I suggested in my earlier post: Galaxy dominated this game but just got punished on the break. Sometimes that is just soccer. If Gordan would have deflected Donovans cross in early, or if Juniho's early free kick was 5 inches lower this game could have been vastly different.

I disagree with Rademaar about lack of depth in quality defenders. The starting backline included: Eddie Lewis, Gregg Berhalter, and A.J. Delagrazza. AJ is a regular started and Lewis and Berhalter, while past their prime have been serviceable. On top of that Lewis was combining well in Donovan early on and played an sublime ball to Gordon, who put his volley wide, right before the PR scored.

I am not saying this isn't embarrassing but sometimes soccer games happen this way. This was a strong starting 11 by Galaxy, they just got a lesson is efficient counter attacking. In all honesty, they created enough chances in the 20 minutes I saw to suggest they could overturn this result.

@Ron16: You make some very good points about the MLS clubs not crying over flaming out of the tournament when they d and the league having to push them.

Usually.

After travelling to Columbus last year to support Islanders in a group match there and having some access to people affiliated with the Crew organization I can tell you that they really cared about trying to make a good showing last year.

Toronto also cares.

I admit that those are exceptions.

For Puerto Rico Islanders, I wouldn't call the priorities reversed but I will tell you that the ownership is very clear about wanting to win the CFU (which the club managed to do a few months back), wanting to win the D-2 (which it has yet to do and this year's campaign has been excrucaitaing at this point) and to go deep into the CCL.

Even with the shoestring budget and supelimited resources, PRI FC is designed--the player selection--to try and shock team in the CCL.

Pretty good record of overachieving so far...

The little orange engine that could mess up your day and leave your fans asking what the h@ll just happened?

You should have seen how Santos Laguna and Cruz Azul fans reacted when we beat them down in Bayamon.

TFC fans got bitter because the better team is always supposed to win, of course.

@Ron16 - did you really compare the USOC with the CONCACAF Champions League? I think a large percentage of people on this board would consider the latter to be a greater accomplishment than winning the MLS Cup. To be the official champion of your confederation is kind of a big deal.

yanki, thanks. No, I won't deny that you answered. I just think your answer affirms what I have been saying, that those cups don't mean anything.

IF DCU wins the USOC, of course that would be fine, I always like to see DCU win, even if its preseason against Instant Dict, Joe Public, Charleston Battery, or whoever. But winning the USOC, or Superliga, or CCL or whatever, if it does not mitigate the sting of an early exit from MLS playoffs or failure to make same, which it doesn't, it just doesn't mean anything. Similarly, if all these cups are are brownie points to perennial losers, that is hardly a claim to prestige.

I just can't go along with the charade that these cups do mean anything. They are exhibition matches, nothing more. If we win, fine, I'll enjoy the performance, but if we don't, its yesterday's news.

rademaar brings out some good points. The LEAGUE doesn't even care about these competitions, despite its rhetoric to the contrary. If it did, it would put teams on a footing to compete, by allowing for an increase in roster size.

all soccer is essentially meaningless but many of us - and millions of other fans around the world - still invest a lot of time and emotion into it.

I agree w Rademaar's general assessment - LA dominated possession and created far more scoring opportunities but Puerto Rico defended well and were remarkably efficient on their few chances. But LA was also weak defensively and really missed the presence of Omar Gonzalez and the goalkeeping of Donovan Ricketts.

I watched much of the Toronto game against Motagua, too, and initially thought the Red team did poorly in winning 1-0 against a team in preseason. But Toronto outperformed LA by a long shot.

One day MLS may be among the top 20 leagues in the world but we're not there yet. And I'm a fan of the 16th best team in the league!

I'm not laughing about last night's game--the result embarrassed the league. I want the tournament to grow in this country (along with the league) and that only happens by MLS teams advancing deep in it. At some point, MLS-Mexican League matches will take on great importance, with great atmospheres...but, only when MLS teams step up and start winning.

@Ron16 - Superliga is the only officially meaningless competition. The USOC provides the easiest berth to the CCL, which again, is very meaningful. Winning the CCL is the only way to get to a meaningful competition with the great clubs of the world. I would argue that if an MLS team won the CCL, but failed to make the MLS playoffs, that season would still be considered a success.

and when you say that players are quietly happy about being eliminated early from the extra competitions, you sound extremely foolish. Beyond the fact that they are competitors, they also get paid for playing in these extra competitions. I remember hearing an interview with Marc Burch a few years back when DCU was in both the Superliga and the CCL, and he said that the extra money was pretty significant (when compared to the modest salaries of MLS players), and helped a lot of the low earners on the team get by.

I'm not laughing about last night's game--the result embarrassed the league. I want the tournament to grow in this country (along with the league) and that only happens by MLS teams advancing deep in it. At some point, MLS-Mexican League matches will take on great importance, with great atmospheres...but, only when MLS teams step up and start winning.

Well I guess I can always root for Americas "other" team in this tournament: Pachuca. Seriously, I actually enjoy watching this tournament and wish DC United would pick their standards up an qualify again.

croftonpost, it might mean more to me if MLS could compete on an even playing field in terms of rosters/depth. An MLS team might win a CCL or something like that once in a while by upset, but we are kidding ourselves if we think that any MLS team is truly better than say a motivated, top Mexican side. As has been pointed out in '98 DCU won the CCL over Toluca, and then the IA Cup over Vasco De Gama.

But were we really a superior side to either one of those teams? Of course not. We did play some very, very nice soccer in those games, and I'd argue our team then was better than any MLS has ever had since, saving perhaps the '99 DCU team.

Did those games say anything about MLS's relative strength compared to Mexican and Brazilian top leagues? No. Those leagues were and are superior to MLS despite the fact that the MLS side happened to win.

@CSD1: Thanks for the love Bro. Sorry that I didn't see it until now. Yeah. I love me some DC United. I support the hometown team Crystal Palace Baltimore as well.

But Puerto Rico Islanders FC has a special place in my heart--almost more like "extended family" after becoming so initmately involved with the club over the years. The franchise has treated me better than my wife.

I did hear Garber in an interview the other day stating that they want to bring back the reserve teams. That should help with this problem. Personally, I always wanted DCU to field it's reserve team in the USOC when they had one. It would have given the reserve team and hopefully will give the reserve team in the future something substantive to play for.

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